Marks & Spencer posted a better-than-expected set of fourth quarter results, albeit among yet another set of declines in general merchandise.

The increase in ecommerce, accompanied by a rise in customer satisfaction, came as overall sales rose by 4 per cent but like-for-like sales, which strips out the effect of store openings and closures, stayed flat. Online, the company improved website speed, navigation and ran fewer online-only promotions. This, it said, gave customers “a more consistent shopping experience across our channels.”

Group sales at the high street giant were up 1.9 per cent in the 13 weeks to 26 March, but as with all of its results in the last few years, this was largely down to M&S’ food division, which grew sales four per cent.

But today’s figures are the 20th time in 21 quarters that clothing sales fell or were flat.

General merchandise sales slipped 1.9 per cent, while like-for-likes were down 2.7 per cent – less than the three per cent widely predicted or the four per cent drop that some analysts had forecast. Sales at M&S.com grew 8.2 per cent.

Chief executive Steve Rowe said his priority would be to turn around the clothing and home business by improving the customer offer. He added, “I am very proud and privileged to be leading M&S. We are focused on getting even closer to our customers and putting them at the heart of everything we do.”

Snapchat has launched Snapcode, a feature that brands can use to give users exclusive content when they are in store.

Burberry is the first brand to use the QR-style feature, with an advertising campaign for its latest men’s fragrance. Visitors are encouraged to scan the Snapcode on products in-store, which will then direct them on to the Snapchat app.

This new feature is aimed at retailers, and Burberry’s partnership with Snapchat makes them the first product brand to appear in the discover section of the app. Content created for the Snapchat channel includes a director’s cut of the campaign’s ad, grooming and tailoring tips, and a behind the scenes video. It will be live for 24 hours in the app. Following this, consumers will be able to access the channel for two months when they scan the ‘Snapcode’.

It’s not the first time Burberry has been among the first brands to test the latest Snapchat feature. Last year , it live-streamed a fashion to the app, which it claimed delivered over 100 million impressions.

Bristol, UK - April 20, 2016 - The leading performance marketing conference - Performance Marketing Insights: Europe - has previewed sessions ahead of early bird ticket prices ending on April 30.

Returning to Amsterdam following a two-year stint in the tech hub of Berlin, the event’s highly-commended programme is split into three distinct sections to allow coverage across all vital elements of the performance marketing mix.

Track One sees a dive into affiliate marketing and lead generation, while Track Two’s focus is drawn towards biddable media: comprised of sessions on paid search, paid social, programmatic and display advertising among others.

The final stage is reserved for Debate & Discuss: a completely new feature which requires attendees to gather and have their say on some of the performance marketing industry’s most pressing and divisive challenges.

On Track One, tips for traffic sourcing, new customer acquisition, audience monetisation and recruiting new publishers will garner the interest of pros in affiliate marketing and lead generation looking to innovate their offering.

Meanwhile Track Two presents a masterclass on areas such as online and offline conversion tracking, local targeting, channel convergence and much more.

A full list of subjects to preview is available here, released ahead of speaker announcements in the coming weeks.

Richard Towey, head of content at PerformanceIN and co-curator of the PMI: Europe 2016 agenda, said: “This year we’re looking to do something different with the agenda on the basis of delegate feedback.

“If there’s anything we’ve learned from sessions like the Balloon Debate at PMI: London 2015, it’s that people like to see plenty of engagement with our content. That’s been catered for with the launch of Debate & Discuss, which we’re sure will get people talking about some of the challenges experienced in their own line of work.

“As always, there is a highly topical slant on the agenda, with sessions on moment marketing, header bidding and being an affiliate marketer in a cross-channel world, showcasing our desire to provide topics that are right up to speed with what’s actually happening in performance marketing today.”

An announcement regarding the event’s keynote speaker is also on the way. Previous headliners have included former Apple creative director Ken Segall and Wired editor David Rowan.

View the agenda here: https://www.performancemarketinginsights.com/16/europe/agenda/1/

Contact Sophie Corrigan, the Event Manager for more information: sophie.corrigan@performancein.com